


Skeleton's Small Problems

by Possible_Heart



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Also slow updates, Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Bitty reader, F/M, Female Reader, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of self-harm, Misunderstandings, Multi, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader is very sad, Reader-Insert, Same with Blue, Sans is depressed, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Ya'll i mean it when i say slow burn, be prepared for the slowest burn of your life, bitty - Freeform, but sweet at the same time, edge deserves some love, everyones depressed yay, i gots to get me a polyamory eventually though, it might be that slow, most of which are incredibly dense, papyrus is sad give him a cookie too, papyrus isn't as naive as you think he is, probably, red's an asshole, she deserves a cookie, so like, stretch needs to stop smoking, we dealin with a bitty and some skeletons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:39:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26861530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Possible_Heart/pseuds/Possible_Heart
Summary: Your life was a shit show, to put it simply. Especially since your species was big enough to fit in a palm, and happened to be glorified pets. Mishap after mishap, mistake after mistake, you were convinced that the world was all bad. People and monsters alike, all had the capability to wrong others. After all, that's all they had done, how were you to know that any could be different? Well, when six skeletons move into the house you inhabitied, you reacted accordingly. Chase out the intruders, one way or another. They would only hurt you in the end, right?
Relationships: Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Reader/Everyone, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 85
Kudos: 317





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah! Sorry, but I accidentally deleted this poking buttons I shouldn't have been and barely paying attention lol my bad my dudes, but there are some major changes and stuff, so hopefully the longer, better chapter will make up for it!

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, and on days like these, you spent whatever time you could spare lounging in the sun. Even if you weren't a reptile, you still enjoyed a good sunbath. 

Well, that would be what you were doing, if you weren't nine feet off the ground, feet hooked into the grooves of bark on the old magic tree in the yard. 

"Ann! Fuck- catch!" Fumbling, your hold slipping on the apple, which was clearly as big as you are, the bright red fruit tumbled from your arms, bouncing harshly against the trunk of the tree on the way down. 

The telltale whine of your companion, a small, fluffy dog affectionately dubbed Ann, short for Annoying Dog (she was called that by every human she had ever met, and you had put a stop to it with the nickname), caused a small smile to slip onto your face. 

Keeping your handhold on the branch underneath your feet, you spared a glance down, spotting the makeshift basket she had nosed over to sit underneath your frozen form, ruby apples gleaming in the basket. A small handle curled up over the basket, connecting to both sides, and you winced, the thought of slamming into the handle during your epic jump down - you would know the pain from experience. You were bruised for weeks! - causing phantom pains to dance over your ribs. 

"Yeah yeah, I'm comin', I'm comin'." Huffing, you gave the remaining apples in the tree a dirty glare, as they happened to be hanging just out of your reach. 

Not your fault your seven inches couldn't exactly reach them. Even if you could - which would still require you to jump for them - your weight alone wouldn't be able to get them to fall, being as you were incredibly light (read: underweight) for a bitty of your size. 

Oh. Yeah, bitties. 

Absentmindedly rubbing a hand over your right shoulder, directly next to your collar bone, you eyed the canine underneath you. 

"Alright, since I'm too short to reach the rest, I'm coming down." Giving the dog a forewarning, you proceeded to turn, letting yourself hang from the flimsy branch you were perched on previously, giving yourself a small chance to swing - ignoring how the bark cut into your palms - before dropping.

Feeling the wind rush around you, you braced yourself for the rough landing, automatically preparing to touch yourself into a roll, years of experience paying off. However, you found yourself pleasantly surprised to land on the fluffy back of your companion. Ann was a dog small by human standards, but easily towered over you. That might also be due to the fact that your species is genetically engineered to be the size to fit into the palm of someone's hand. 

Patting her earnestly, you smiled happily. "You just saved me some bruises my friend. You deserve… head pats!" Carefully, you climbed up a little higher on the dogs white fluff - and ignoring the way you wanted to fall asleep on the floof she called a pelt - you gently ruffled her fur on her head, grinning when she have a soft bark in response. 

She trotted over to the basket still sitting on the ground and clamped her jaw around the handle, teeth surprisingly sharp as she hauled the basket up, beelining for the house. 

Sliding onto her back from the sudden but not so sudden movements, you gingerly latched onto her fur, a small grin lining your lips as you couldn't help but compare the situation to a fairytale. Who needs a dragon to ride when you have your giant dog pal?

Ann happily trotted into the abandoned house you two had taken residence in, nosing her way through the dog door. 

You yourself knew that it wasn't abandoned, per say, as every so often a woman with a plastic grin would try to 'show off' the house to someone else. To buy it, she had said to the last group. 

The last group also promptly ran off, screaming something about a 'ghost in the vents!' And 'messages written in blood!'. You found yourself pleasantly surprised at the absolute lack of balls humans seemed to possess. Every one a coward, scared of something as outlandish as the notion of 'haunted'. 

"Attic, or kitchen?" Glancing at Ann for the input you knew you wouldn't receive verbally, you just watched as she basically gave you a shrug, before making her way to the kitchen, claws tapping on the tile. 

Patting her snowy fur once more, you quickly scaled the bottom cabinets of the island, pulling the basket of apples along with you after a bit (read: a lot) of effort. 

"There!" Panting, you shoved the wicker basket - something you and Ann had found shoved in a closet awhile back. It reminded you of something you used to know. Something familiar. A human holiday, perhaps? The basket looked like something used during… what was it… Easter? - to the center of the island, leveling it with a nasty glare. 

"God… so much fucking effort for so little…" Huffing out in disdain, you hopped down onto the open cabinet door of the island, easily grasping the knob and dropping the small ways it took to reach the hardwood. 

Ann yipped, and you smiled. 

"Yes yes, I still have the food we snagged from yesterday." Watching her gaze sharpen with hunger, you grinned sympathetically. 

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. Early lunch?" You offered, knowing neither of you had eaten dinner the night before, or breakfast, today. Not like there was much to eat anyway, and apples could only hold someone over for so long. To top it off, Ann seemed to completely loathe the fruit, so you were both due for a good meal. 

Ann gave a bark of approval, and that's all you needed to get your tiny legs moving. Scaling the cabinets of the kitchen, you finally stopped once you were in the space above the cabinets that didn't touch the ceiling. Healthy potted plants still littered this space, left by the previous owner of this house. You, a softie for anything nature, had taken to watering them every other day. 

Staring straight into the vent in from of you, you glanced down, spotting Ann stretching, and grinned wickedly.

"Hey Ann, race? Meet you in the attic!" You were still confused on how she understood you, but you would take any good thing you were given, no need to question. 

Lifting the cover of the vent and bolting into the system, you quickly followed the route you had memorized a year before, fingers finding purchase in the metal where others would slip, and scrambled up to the third floor (read: attic). 

Panting with a victorious smile, you threw yourself out of the vents and onto the hardwood of the finished attic, spotting the familiar dusty boxes and comforting warmth, despite it being summer. 

Throwing your hands up, you cheered, before freezing as you spotted your snow colored friend across the room, already lounging and comfortable. 

"How the fuck did you get here before me?!" 

This was a common occurrence. Whether it was you or your pal who took the vents, Ann always seemed to win no matter what. 

Groaning, you trudged over to her side, collapsing against her fur. 

"Cheater…" You huffed, but pushed yourself back up and walked around the side of one of the boxes in the room, dragging the McDonalds bag out from behind. 

Mouth watering at the thought of the greasy food, you could only wonder how much easier it would be to eat if it was your size. 

"Yes, you get the extra bag of fries since you won… like always." Feeling her nose your arm, you cracked a grin and dragged out her share of the meal, a single burger with the two small bags of fries. 

Humming, you finally just decided to tip the bag over, dragging out your food, same thing as Ann, just without the extra fries. 

Practically inhaling half of the burger, shoving the fries in your face, you stopped once you realized that content hums were floating up to your ears. 

"Oh… that was me." You laughed, spotting the look Ann shot you. This was also normal whenever you had something you enjoyed to eat. 

Shaking your head and whipping off your greasy hands on the bag, you folded the wrapper back around the half finished burger and shoved it back in the bag. So you could eat another day. 

"a-d t--s is th- liv-ng --om!" 

Tensing at the unfamiliar voice in your house, you watched Ann do the same. Broken bits and pieces of the sentence bounced around the vents, reaching your sensitive hearing. 

How did you not hear them come in?!

Groaning at the fact that the content feeling from before was gone, replaced with cold dread, you knew you should deal with the situation. 

Ann followed as you slid into the vents, both of you quiet on your feet. You had to withhold a chuckle at how her fur pressed against the sides of the vent, making her look smaller than ever. 

Gesturing for her to follow, you quickly found your way to the vent in the living room, staring through the slitted cover of metal that protected them from you. Not that you couldn't just push the thing and it would move up, letting you out with ease. 

"so, the house is fully furnished with a finished attic and basement?" 

Who the fuck decided it was a good idea to invade your house after your perfect meal?

Huffing, you glared harshly at whoever was following the man that had tried time and time again to sell the house you had claimed as your own to a bunches upon bunches of idiots. 

Oh fuck. Monsters? It was the first time you had seen them trying to buy this house. You thought word had spread well enough for people to steer clear of your place.

Ann gave an almost silent whine, and you frowned, reaching beside yourself where she had shoved her head to view the spectacle going down, petting her fur.

You'll steer them out, if not for the safety of yourself, then for your friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything seemed to be going so well, too. But no, of course fate decided to once again screw you over. Why had you expected any different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy! New chapter! This took me a few days cause I just wasn't... satisfied with it. I ended up scrapping the entire chapter twice, then finally, I came up with something worthwhile. Now, let's see how the bitty and pupper are faring, hm?

"Be careful they'll hear you-!" You hissed to your furred friend, wincing as she tripped over her own paws, muzzle slamming against the sides of the shaft, a particularly loud thud resounding through the ventilation system. 

Cursing under your breath, you helped her up, gently patting her fur down. 

"DID YOU HEAR THAT, SANS?"

"hear what? the sound of this house becoming ours?" 

"NO! MORE LIKE… -!" 

The voices dropped away the further you and your friend traveled, and you aimed to head to the bathroom, hoping to scare them out of their minds. Maybe you could turn on the dryer downstairs after throwing a pair of shoes in, too. 

Huffing, you finally made it to the bathroom vent, located directly above the door. Pushing open the cover, you hopped out, balancing on the doorframe with the gentle suggestion for Ann to stay where she was. 

A small, soft nuzzle was your answer, and you grinned, patting her softly, before taking a leap for the sink. Feeling the shock of the landing rush through you, you mentally sighed in relief at the fact of bitties being built to be more durable. 

Quickly tugging the small cloth bag you had scrambled back to the attic for, you pulled out a ketchup packet, something left over from your earlier meal. Swiftly splitting the top, you dipped your fingers into the tomato blood, happily smearing a message onto the mirror. 

'LeAve or elSe.' 

Frowning at your shaky writing, you shook your head and shoved the empty packet into the trash next to the sink, watching it fall under a paper plate. Shurgging, you licked your fingers clean, humming at the taste.

Next, you hopped onto the rim of the bathtub/shower, and shoved the knob to start the water, flicking it to become a shower. You grinned wickedly when you noticed red food coloring still bled into the water, something that had coated the shower head once upon a time.

Afterwards, you scaled the doorframe, letting your feet sink into the small nooks and grooves that you had memorized over time, and found your way back into the vents. 

Nodding, knowing that whoever the buyer of the house was wouldn't make their way to the room until at least a few minutes later, you quickly followed the indecipherable mummers back into the kitchen, where everyone was grouped. 

"WOWIE! SO, A GHOST LIVES HERE?" 

Holy fuck everyone in the goddamn house is a skeleton. Well, besides the salesperson.

"No! No, of course not-!" The man hastily tried to explain himself, before he spotted you through the vent cover. 

"Absolutely not! Theres nothing to worry about, just rumors being rumors." He narrowed his eyes, a flame of disdain flickering, before he casted his best sale smile towards the group. 

You knew that look. Defiance. 

Seeing the human glare at you with such hostility filled you with spite. 

"you sound pretty _chilled to the bone_ , ya sure there's nothing to worry about?" A skeleton with a blue jacket and perma-grin spoke up, eyelights buzzing with what you could make out as casual anxiety. It was a look you had seen on yourself many times.

"shut it Vanilla, who doesn't love a good haunting?" A skeleton strikingly similar yet noticeably different grinned with a sharp smile, single golden tooth flashing in the low light of the kitchen.

"EDGY ME! WHAT IF THIS IS THE GHOSTS HOUSE? WOULDN'T WE BE TAKING IT FROM THEM?! M-MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST FIND A DIFFERENT PLACE!" The next monster that spoke up sported a soft looking blue bandana, tied into a bow at the back. 

"aw, what's wrong _boo_ -berry? can't stand a few _spooks_?" 

"AAGH! STOP IT WITH YOUR INSUFFERABLE PUNS! YOU'RE ALMOST AS BAD AS PAPY!" 

"damn, it looks like i've met a _dead_ end…" A snicker escaped the sharp toothed skeleton. 

A sigh escaped another skeleton, before that skeleton quickly smacked the back of the others head. 

"ow! what th' 'ell, boss?!" The skeleton who had previously been joking around turned, hissing. 

The one the smaller skeleton had dubbed 'Boss' frowned, hissing back.

"STOP IT WITH THE PATHETIC JOKES, SA- RED!" He leveled the skeleton before him with a glare, and you could almost taste the magic sparking in the atmosphere, the air suddenly become three times tenser than before. 

Instinctively shrinking back, you watched anxiously, waiting for the magic levels to rise. 

The small skeleton shrunk back as well, sweating nervously and tugging on the collar of his turtleneck, smile a shadow of the joking grin that was previously there, corners of his grin tightened with fear. 

"s-sorry boss…" He mummered, backing up an unconscious step.

'Boss' just rolled his eyes, glancing back at the human male. 

"I DEMAND THAT YOU GIVE US THE HOUSE NOW. I AM DONE WITH THIS INSUFFERABLE PROCESS. HAND OVER THE KEYS." The skeleton then proceeded to hold out a clawed, gloved hand, and you watched the human grin good-naturedly. 

"No can do. Sign a few more papers and it'll be yours though-!" 

"SANS? WHAT'S THAT NOISE?" This time, it was the skeleton clad with a tattered red scarf, a cheerful but confused smile on his skull. 

You froze, before a maniac grin spread over my lips as you realized what he was referring to. 

The shower!

Barely able to withhold a chuckle, you watched as one by one, each skeletons confusion flitted onto their faces. 

As a group (read: safety in numbers), they approached the bathroom door, each one crowding into the small space. The one who had been referred to as Sans switched off the shower, eyeing the mirror with pale bones. 

As always, the reactions were the best part, each skeleton emerging from the bathroom significantly paler than they had been. 

"leave or else, huh?" A skeleton in an orange hoodie proceeded to light up a cigarette, popping it in between his teeth. 

"WHY SHOULD WE LEAVE? NOBODY TELLS THE TERRIBLE PA- EDGE WHAT TO DO! DO YOU HEAR ME, INSOLENT CREATURE? IDIOTIC GHOSTS… WHO BELIEVES IN THAT SUPERSTITIOUS STUFF ANYWAY? CERTAINLY NOT I." Jesus this dudes voice causes your ears to bleed. 

The group seemed to steal their nerves, talking the discussion to the living room. 

Frowning, you rolled your eyes. Lovely, this group is actually gonna take some effort. 

Sighing, you turned to Ann, watching her level you with the same gaze. Yanking out a small rubber ball from your bag, you let her take it, watching her trot through the vents. Silently dashing after her for a bit, you took a turn into the living room vent, content with watching the next thing to go down. Knowing she was headed to the hall, you smiled when you noticed a rubber ball bounce down the hall minutes later. 

Each bounce caused a squeak to emerge from the object, before it rolled to a stop directly next to the kitchen. 

The skeletons, who had been watching, took an unconscious step back. 

"Oh Dear… UM… MR…? MISS..? GHOST, MAY YOU PLEASE LET US LIVE IN YOUR HOUSE?" 

Well, at least he asked. Sorry cinnamon roll, the answer is no.

Banging harshly against the side of the vent, you observed with a wicked smile as they jumped.

"hehe… guess you could say that scared you _out of your skin_?" An orange hoodie clad skeleton addressed the smaller skeleton next to him who sported starry eyelights. 

"BROTHER! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" The skeleton scolded, eyes narrowing before he sighed. The other skeleton, Edge, scowled. 

"WELL, I'M NOT LETTING A GHOST BOSS ME AROUND. WHERE DO I SIGN, INSOLENT HUMAN?" 

Within seconds, the process was carried out. 

"Oh thank god this house is finally sold… have fun!"

Gaping, you stared in disbelief. Was that really how buying a house went? Sign something and boom? Or… were the people just desperate to sell this forsaken place?

The human practically sprinted out the door.

Practically growling in frustration, you glanced back, watching Ann shove her way back into the vents and over to me. 

"Good girl…" Gently smoothing down her fur, you shook your head. 

"Plan B…" Whispering the sentence, you quickly made your way through the vents back to the kitchen, worming your way into the cabinets with a few well practiced moves. 

Knowing the pain would be well worth the reactions, you shrugged, before landing a harsh kick against the tower of pots and pans inside the cabinet. Cursing the sting that followed, you couldn't help the victory smile that spread as the stack fell over. Hearing the startled surprise of the skeletons in the living room, you dived back behind the mess, knowing that the odds of getting spotted were unlikely. 

"i'm starting to suspect that the ghost doesn't like us." The familiar voice of the orange hoodie skeleton streamed into the cabinet, and you stifled a chuckle. 

Yeah, no shit the ghost doesn't like them.

A few of the pans were readjusted, before whoever was doing it paused. 

Risking a glance upwards, you found yourself face to skull with the hazy eyelights of Sans. 

"Well… fuck. I'm not sure which of us should be _pan_ icking." Cursing softly, you gave him a sheepish grin, gently skimming a hand over one of the pans in front of you. He stared back in minor confusion, before you bolted. Safe to say you were back within the vents in seconds (record time, especially seeing as it's the one on the living room ceiling. You were so lucky that you could jump high enough to reach it. Mentally, you thanked the couch for the extra boost that you needed. If you used a bit of your magic to reach it as well, nobody needed to know), and you were almost confident that even if someone saw you, they wouldn't be able to even tell what you were. 

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, CLASSIC? A MOUSE? THE HUMAN FAILED TO MENTION THAT WE HAD PESTS." Edge looked annoyed, which wasn't surprising. After all, you really were just an annoyance to most people. The entire population considered your species a pet, after all.

"yeah… mouse… hey papyrus? can i talk to ya for a sec'?" Pursing your lips, you watched Sans take the skeleton with the tattered scarf, Papyrus, to another room. 

"PAPY! I JUST HAD A MAGNIFICENT IDEA! ONE THAT IS ONLY FIT FOR SOMEONE JUST AS MAGNIFICENT! WHAT IF THE GHOST JUST REQUIRES A FRIEND? AFTER ALL, SURELY THE HOUSE WOULD GET LONELY, AND NOBODY KNOWS HOW LONG THE GHOST HAS BEEN ALONE!"

Holy shit, the sweet enthusiasm and optimism might just give you a cavity. 

"U-UM… GHOST? WE-WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO BE FRIENDS! IF-IF YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH US!"

Aw. As much as you would love to take him up on that offer-

"NOBODY WOULD WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU, CHILD." Edge interrupted the starry eyed monster, spitting the sentence like poison. 

You scowled. All he was trying to do was be nice! Way to go ruin someone's day, Edge lord. 

"MY NAME IS THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY! NOT CHILD! BESIDES, I'M OLDER THAN YOU!" Blueberry huffed, stomping his foot. 

"bitch-berry is more like it…" The skeleton with the golden tooth, Red, growled, glaring tiredly at Blue. 

"LANGUAGE, EDGY ME! THAT IS NO WAY TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE, LET ALONE I! YOU'RE INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO HAVE SOMEONE SUCH AS I WHO WISHES TO HELP WITH THOSE FOUL WORDS AND ATTITUDE." Blue posed, one hand on his hip as the other pointed at Red. 

"don't need your damn help. what a joke."

"AND TO START OFF! I MUST REQUEST THAT YOU WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!"

"was i not speaking clearly? get it through your stupid, self-entitled skul-" 

"ooookay, let's not get our tempers _red_ hot here, and try to talk this out." The orange hoodie skeleton sighed, placing a gentle hand on Blue's shoulder. 

"watch it, stretch. your brother might get himself into a situation where others don't take kindly to being bossed around." Red rolled red tinted eyelights, stalking down the hall to finish looking around. 

"I WAS NOT BOSSING YOU AROUND, I WAS-" 

"okay blue, cool it. it seems like we're all a little on _edge_ at the moment, which is understandable, but i don't want to have the first conversation in the house be an argument. how about we all go and get the rest of the stuff from the old place?" Sans had returned with Papyrus, zeroing in on the aggressive conversation.

Yes! Leave! And hopefully never return!

"WHY DON'T OUR BROTHERS GO GET EVERYTHING WHILE WE GO GROCERY SHOPPING?" Papyrus spoke up, optimism showing through. 

"FANTASTIC IDEA OTHER PAPY!" Blue cheered, giving Stretch a hug before shoving him towards Sans. 

Edge glanced at his brother with a glare that shot daggers, and Red chuckled nervously, nodding hesitantly, backing up a step farther into the hall. 

"I EXPECT TO SEE EVERYTHING IN MY ROOM, WHICH WILL BE THE CLOSEST TO THE STAIRS, BY THE TIME I GET BACK." Edge, seeming like he was satisfied, nodded. 

"g-gotcha boss…" Red mimicked the action, despite the red tinted bead of perspiration that ran down his skull. 

How do skeletons sweat?

Shifting, you felt your blood run cold as Stretch's eyes flicked to the vent, narrowed slightly. Sans seemed to catch the movement as well, alongside the more sinister looking version of the skeleton that resembled him. 

Fuck. 

Can all monsters sense souls?! Or is that only like the boss monsters that used to-

You stopped the train of thought right there. If the skeletons in the house can sense souls, you realized you're not overly concerned. Yes, it would be an annoyance, but you've found that the more LV someone posses, the harder it is to track their soul. 

So, if you were lucky, they wouldn't even be able to sense you most of the time. 

Backing up a little farther into the cool, metal sanctuary you had spent many nights in, you gently pushed Ann back as well. 

However, of course, fate had to decide at that exact moment to slam a baseball bat in your face and laugh about it. 

You could only watch in horror as Ann instead slipped, tumbling out of the vents, hitting the hardwood with a yelp that you were confident would be appearing in your next nightmare.

Fuck. Fuck fuckfuck _fuck_ this was your fault. Your fault, _all your fault_. You should've listened to the humans and never left, because look what's happening now. Your only friend in years was probably going to be taken and sent away, possibly to a shelter that didn't mind killing animals, and it would all be your fault. You would be the reason she was going to be stuffed and locked away in a cage you promised neither of you would ever have to return to. Hell, maybe destiny was against you too, and maybe they would find her, take her back to the place you fled. 

Or maybe the monsters who happened to be in the archway that led from the kitchen to the living room wouldn't take kindly to animals. Maybe they would hurt her, and you would be powerless to stop them.

And here you were, doing nothing about it, idly sitting by while you should be doing something! 

Anything.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe they aren't all bad, but who could know at this point?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have headcanon of Red just loving any and all animals, and being a softie when it comes to dogs especially! But anyway, yay! New chapter!

As your life goes, of course karma teamed up with fate to bitch slap you. Per usual, you both expected it yet did nothing about it. 

With an ongoing mental mantra of curses even sailors would be shocked about, your thoughts tugged into a hurricane of both emotions and plans, you found that you were frozen. Feet glued firmly to the bottom of the vents, open mouthed and terrified, you watched the skeletons approach your friend. 

Shit. Why won't your feet move?!

"SO… INSTEAD OF MICE OR OTHER VERMIN, WE HAVE CANINES?"

"well… uh… i guess you could say that she must've _barked up the wrong tree_. or, well, in this case… vent?" Stretch raised an eyebrow. Bone brow? 

Why the hell is that what's on your mind, of all things at the moment?!

"guess they thought it would be nice of them to _drop in._ " Sans chuckled. 

As all the skeletons silently contemplated what to do, Red finally stepped forward, crouching down to be nearer to the dog's height. Ann instinctively flinched back, cowering down, and you felt yourself sadden, desperately wanting to help. It was easy to tell she was scared. Grabbing hands weren't limited to just bitties, after all.

"hey there pup. easy." Red stretched out a hand, palm flipped up as he stopped short of her. 

Ann blinked slowly, ears flattened back, and you found yourself mentally urging her to make a dash for the backdoor dog flap. You hoped she wasn't in the same situation as yourself at the moment, like she was glued to her place.

"we ain't gonna hurt ya." Hand still held frozen, you watched as Ann just whimpered. Another minute passed, and in the back of your mind, the careful expressions of all the other skeletons stood out. 

If they hurt her, stars pray that they received mercy-

What the hell was she doing?!

Ann had, eventually, became less tense, yet her tail was still tucked, ears flattened. Fear still rolled off of her in waves, but a new emotion was threaded through. It felt like… hooe.

You had half a mind to fling yourself down onto the hardwood and scare the house thieves off, but withheld your growing temper, nails dug into your palms. Why would hope even be an emotion? You lost the ability to hope a long time ago.

Red grinned softly, and you found yourself shocked as Ann bravely stepped forward, nuzzling against his palm (may you mention that her tail swayed?), afterwards, staying within the grabbing range of him.

"see? not here to hurt'cha." He sat down Indian style, and she slowly creeped forward, nuzzling the hand he had relaxed onto his leg. 

Red, getting the gist, smiled (it was the softest you'd seen of him the entire time hes been here) and gently scratched behind the pups ears. 

"IS THIS LIKE THE DOG THAT KEPT STEALING MY SPECIAL ATTACK IN SNOWDIN, BROTHER?" Papyrus finally spoke, eyes narrowed slightly towards the harmless dog sitting on the floor. 

Sans chuckled, shrugging. 

"c'mon paps, _throw her a bone_. this one hasn't stolen it yet." 

Why hadn't she left yet? Didn't she realize how much danger she was in? Anxiety through the roof, you physically forced yourself to move, realizing your nails had started to pop into the skin of your palm, blood trickling down your fingers. 

Wincing as drops plopped against the bottom of the vent, you tried to sort out the chaos you called a plan. 

Now was better than ever. Knowing it was a terrible idea to leave her with them for too long, you tried to make this as quick as possible. Bolting into the bathroom, you made sure the door of it was open (swinging on the handle made your shoulders burn, but you ignored it) before easily knocking all the bottles littering the edge of the tub off. 

The bangs and crashes would've drawn anyone's attention, and if you noticed anything about a few of them, it was paranoia. 

Shrugging off the sympathy, you hauled yourself back into the vent just as footsteps sounded outside of the room. Red was the first to walk in, Ann tucked carefully under his arm. 

Goddammit, they were supposed to leave her in the living room! 

Once again, you found yourself questioning the actions of someone you thought you knew so well. Why would she trust them? It's obvious their souls are screaming malicious intent-!

You paused. 

They… weren't. Each communicated… care(?) worry and confusion. 

You didn't understand. Why would they care? All anyone (with the exception of them) had ever projected was malice and hostility cloaked with a blanket of LV. Why were they any different?

The more you thought, the more you came to realize. The entire time they'd been here, you were too busy panicking to notice the waves of comfort echoing around the house. When Ann had appeared, the emotions had increased ten-fold, oddly enough. 

Why, though? 

Red raised a bonebrow, eyelights sharpening at the mess in the room. 

"...hey pup, ya don' happen to 'ave a friend here wit'cha, perhaps? maybe the ghost we've been hearing 'bout?"

Well. You suppose it was going to happen eventually. 

"UM… GHOST? WE HAVE YOUR CANINE FRIEND HERE WITH US! MAY WE ALL BE FRIENDS NOW?" 

Of course it was the cinnamon roll who spoke, and who ultimately broke whatever chains were holding you back from speaking or doing anything to help your friend. 

"...Whatever. Put Ann down, she's probably scared of you lot." 

Wincing as your voice echoed, you watched them all tense. Each posture said surprise, and Ann gave a cheerful yip in response. 

Red, almost seeming nervous(?), gently set her down, and you watched her pad forward, standing on her hind legs to paw fruitlessly at the air in the general direction of the vent. The general direction of you. 

Sighing, cover blown, the dog out of the bag, you watched their eyes flick to the vent cover, slits in the metal allowing them to see the soft color of your white (surprisingly unstained) cloak, tattered (F/C) shirt and torn, black leggings, before you backed up, retreating farther into the cover of the dark. 

Ann, sensing your fear, gave a small, sad whine, sinking down to lay against the cool tiles of the floor, head resting on her paws tucked in front of her. Puppy eyes aimed in your direction, you broke. Sighing in frustration, you waved a hand towards her, knowing she saw you. 

The skeletons remained silent, gaping (like you were minutes before) towards your hiding spot.

"Ann, if you want to see me so bad, you'll have to come up here yourself. I'm not going out there with people who could easily hurt me. And you." 

"bitty…" 

Sans facepalmed, sockets lighting up in realization as he pinched the bridge of his nonexistent nose. 

How does one pinch bone? Is it like… squishy? But, isn't it bone?! How does that even work? Stop thinking about stupid magic skeletons and focus on the task at hand! 

Wanting to facepalm, yourself, you frowned.

"No is no." You grumbled, noticing she still hadn't moved from her spot. If the skeletons got a good look at you, and _they_ came searching again, it would be so easy for them to find you. 

"UM… GHOST? YOUR DOG FRIEND IS NAMED ANN?" Blue stepped forward, starry eyelights becoming a bit bigger.

"Nope, she's just named dog." The sass that coated your voice was painfully obvious, and you wanted as he placed his hands on his hips, grin tugging down in the corners. 

For some reason, you felt guilty. 

Shrugging it off, you grinned as he shook his head in amusement. 

"NO MATTER! IT IS WONDERFUL TO FINALLY MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE, UM…" Blue tilted his head, and you watched curiosity flicker on all of the others faces, before it was just as quickly masked. 

"Ya know, I'm actually starting to like the sound of Ghost. But, if ya gotta know, its (Y/N)." 

You knew that giving them your name (that you yourself chose all those years ago) wouldn't be any harm, and didn't hesitate.

"I THINK GHOST SUITS YOU! WAS IT YOU WHO DID ALL OF THE TRICKS AROUND THE HOUSE?" 

"Yeah, something like that. Listen, can I have my friend back and we pretend like this never happened?" 

A small whine snatched your attention immediately, and god _damn_ she looked so fucking sad. 

"Holy- fine! You win! If I die, or _they_ find us, this is your fault." Sending her an unamused glare, you begrudgingly pushed open the vent, slipping down to stand on top of the doorframe. 

"Hi. You can call me whatever the fuck you want. Don't care, never will. I'm the ghost that'll be plaguing your lives until you move, cause Ann and I aren't leaving. Now that we've been formally introduced, I have one hint of advice. Don't hurt me or my friend here, and we're on good terms. Well, mostly, anyway. We just want peace, and we had it, until you guys appeared. So, don't fuck this up, yeah?" 

"I WOULD NEVER DREAM OF HURTING YOU OR THE POOFY FRIEND YOU CALL ANN!" Blue frowned, yet still someone managed to look cheerful. 

The rest of the skeletons, with the exception of three, seemed appalled at the fact of hurting anything in general. 

However, Sans, Edge, and Stretch looked guarded. 

"I WOULDN'T WANT TO EVEN TOUCH YOU, MOUSE. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT YOU WERE SOMETHING AS DISGUSTING AS A RAT. A BITTY IS BARELY BETTER. THE DOG I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT." Edge turned up his nonexistent nose (you noticed his shudder when he said both mouse and rat) while Red snickered beside him. 

Edge, hearing the laughter, glared harshly at his brother while a soft red glow coated his cheeks. 

Skeletons can blush? Is that a blush? Or is magic skeleton shit more confusing than you thought?

"SHUT. UP. IF YOU LIKE LIVING, I SUGGEST YOU NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT AGAIN." Edge huffed one last time, knocking against his brother's shoulder as he stormed from the room. 

Ann, avoiding his boots, padded over to sit at Sans's side. 

Red threw his hands up despite his chuckles becoming full blown laughter, rushing after his brother. 

"c'mon boss! ya gotta admit that-!" 

"NOT. ANOTHER. WORD."

Sans shrugged, his own grin growing.

"we wouldn't dream of anything like what ya mentioned, kid. besides, if this is your place, then we're open to sharing." Sans shot you a wink, before tucking his hands into his pockets. Papyrus and Blue nodded enthusiastically to the statement, while Stretch just grinned. 

"uh… let's not have dogs drop outta vents tho? almost gave us all _bark attacks._ " The orange hoodie clad skeleton tugged a lolly from his pocket, unwrapping it and rolling it between his teeth. 

"AAAGH! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A HEART, BROTHER!" Blue fumed, eyes boggling. 

"MY DAY IS RUINED!" Papyrus stomped, hands clutching comically at his skull as he swiftly left the bathroom. 

Sans and Stretch chuckled, the latter bending down to gently pick up Ann. Summoning a small bone, he let Ann tentatively take it from him, and she happily nomed on the object. 

Backing up back into the vents when you noticed the look thrown your way, you immediately felt a thousand times more comfortable. 

Laughter still echoed, and you found their good mood contagious as a small smile, barely even there, quirked your lips upward. Swiftly hiding the bottom of your face under the large clasp of your cloak, you spotted Ann looking happier than ever, sending you a knowing look. 

If they kept her happy, maybe you could tolerate the house thieves existence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Safe to say, you meow hate cat puns.

You had shadowed them for hours, watching their every move and keeping an eye on their intent. Any change, you were aware of. 

Ann, stubbornly refusing to hide away with you, had soaked up all the attention the skeletons had given her, and despite what you told yourself, you felt a little offput. Yet, at the same time, sympathetic. 

You had both been alone for so long, with only each other as company. You knew she detested humans as much as you, but, unlike yourself, she still hoped. 

You guess she deserved the attention, the affection the monsters in the living room dishes out willingly. 

Now, as every skeleton had retired to bed (it had been a long evening after all. Grocery shopping, Dinner, which you were confident wasn't edible. It had glass fucking shards in it, and furniture moving later, everyone was exhausted. Well, everyone except yourself and Ann, of course) you finally had a chance to relax, the hidden tension in your shoulders dropping like a weight. 

Ann, ever your faithful companion, sat at your side. The cool night air admittedly bit into your skin, causing your cheeks to turn pink from the cold, but you could care less. You were thankful for it, after all. It reminded you that you had survived yet another year. Another year victory over that winter all those years ago.

It reminded you that you hadn't failed yet. That you still had time. 

"didn't expect to find you two out here." 

How the hell had you not noticed them?

You were immediately on guard. Turning your head ever so slightly, you eyed him. Skeleton, of course. Blue jacket, and those fuzzy eyelights. Underneath, it almost looked like his sockets were bruised. 

You wondered how long it had been since he slept. 

"Didn't expect to find anyone else awake, seeing as it's well past midnight." You replied softly, moving just a bit closer to Ann. 

He gave a noncommittal shrug, plopping down on the steps of the back porch beside you. 

You once again scanned him. This time, though, you finally mustered up the courage to run a check through his soul. 

You had been wary to even try, beforehand. Who knows how they might have reacted. However, in that small moment, that rush of courage made itself known. 

*[SANS] - [LV: $^×<]

*HP - 1

*ATK - 1

*DEF - 1

*Why?

You felt one run through yours, more so in retaliation from your action. You didn't even flinch, the feeling all too familiar. You knew your own stats. Of course you did. 

However, the skeleton in front of you saw a different version. A cloak, if you will.

"guess i was worried for nothing." He chuckled, shoulders looking a little lighter. You smiled behind the clasp of your cloak.

What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. 

*[Y/N] - [LV: 0]

*HP - 4

*ATK - 4

*DEF - 4

*Wants the best for everyone. 

"The check tell you everything you want to know? Or, is this gonna become twenty questions?" 

In all honesty, you knew it would. It always did with anyone who saw you. Why were you here, alone in a house with a dog when there are bitty protection laws put into place to prevent that from happening? ~~Bitty protection laws that don't allow freedom. Protection laws your ass.~~

"...nah. no need." He hummed. 

Hm. You could respect that. Internally, you were thankful. Always refusing to answer and dodging questions had become a hassle. 

"actually… i do have one. have breakfast? my bro _would be over the moon_ if you ate what he made." Sans winked, standing up as his knees popped (subsequently snapping Ann awake) and you winced for his sake. It almost sounded painful. 

This time, you were the one to give the noncommittal shrug, a lazy sigh slipping from your lips. 

"There goes my chance of sleeping in…" You giggled as Ann shoved her nose against your cheek, efficiently combating the rising tension in your soul. 

Sans chuckled, gently rubbing Ann's head as he passed. 

"night kid." 

"...Night Sans." You responded, the click of the back door serving as the response. 

Your thoughts swirled, ideas combating against each other. They were dangerous, of course they were. Trust was something sacred, that nobody you knew ever had. So why? Why did it feel _right_ to be around the impromptu guests? They had stolen your house. 

However, they hadn't done anything more than that. And, if you were being technical, you had no right to even own the house, much less just tell them to leave. ~~Would they leave?~~ Ann seemed so happy, her eyes begging you to give them a chance. The intent singing from their soul had admittedly drawn you in, and you found ~~jealousy~~ longing coursing through your veins as you watched them interact with Ann. For a few moments, you had almost seen what your companion was trying to tell you. That you were still safe. That you could trust them. ~~You wanted to trust them.~~

You shook your head. 

No. 

Why should you trust them?

________

Morning came quickly. You had found you couldn't sleep, curling up with Ann on one of the many chairs on the back porch, the stars serving as nice company. The moon the only witness to the first breakdown you've had in months. 

You were doing so well, too.

Rubbing your eyes softly, you finally mustered up the courage to move, hearing the ruckus inside. 

Didn't the skeleton ask you something last night?

What was it, what was it..?

You frowned, shaking it off. It would come back to you eventually. 

Ann uncurled from around you as you tapped her, and you giggled as her fluffy tail batted your face in the process. 

Gently patting her head, you made a leap of faith from the chair to the planks of the porch, tucking yourself into a roll before you hit the ground. 

What? It made the landing hurt less. 

Ann, following your lead easily hopped down, onyx eyes catching the first rays of light. 

"WOWZERS! YOU MEAN THERE IS SUCH A THING AS BREAKFAST TACOS?! I MEAN- OF COURSE BREAKFAST TACOS EXIST! TACOS ARE THE BEST MEAL, AFTER ALL!" 

Well, there goes your peaceful morning. 

Knowing it would have come to an end anyway, you let Ann pick you up (the feeling of being held by the back of your shirt never failed to make you sleepy. To be fair though, it's not like she has hands to pick you up with) as she easily pranced inside, nosing her way through the dog door. 

You yawned softly, bleary eyes looking up at the towering forms of the skeletons in your kitchen. 

They didn't seem to notice you or your furry friend. 

"TACOS?" Edge sighed. 

"TACOS ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO LASAGNA." He spoke as if he was trying to explain something to a child, patronizing tone threaded thickly through his words. 

You rolled your eyes. 

"W-WELL, OTHER ME'S, WHAT IF WE TRY TO AGREE ON SOMETHING? I PERSONALLY WANTED TO MAKE SPAGHETTI, BUT IT SEEMS THAT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE." Papyrus, bless the cinnamon roll, tried to compromise. 

Oooooh, was this the start of an argument?

You felt that small, subtle feeling of epicaricacy rush through you, oddly enough. 

You were curious. 

Then again, curiosity killed the cat. 

"SPAGHETTI? WHY WOULD ANYONE-" Edge paused, as if the sentence had gotten stuck in his throat. 

When he spoke, his voice seemed a bit quieter than before. 

"YOU WOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO MAKE SPAGHETTI. YOU WOULD ONCE AGAIN LIGHT THE KITCHEN ON FIRE WITH YOUR COMPLETE IGNORANCE OF THE COOKING SKILL." 

"HEY! THAT'S NOT VERY NICE! YOU SHOULD APOLOGIZE!" 

"SHUT UP, CHILD. YOU'RE JUST A WEAKER VERSION OF MY BROTHER, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM HIM."

Blue looked like he ate something sour, but you spotted that glint of determination invade Papyrus's sockets. Edge, however, seemed to still want to stand his ground. 

You heard the creaking of the floorboards before you saw the next skeleton. Golden fang and red eyelights, he was on your 'Maybe I can tolerate' list. 

"uh, hey bos-? shit bad time, sorry…" 

Aaaaaand, he was gone. 

Literally! You blinked and where the fuck did he go?!

None of the skeletons in the kitchen seemed to notice, or care, as they once again went back to loudly discussing their disagreement on something as simple as cooking. 

Oh god, Edge was mentioning his lasagna again, and if you remembered anything from the day before, it was that you did _not_ want to eat that. 

Just imagining the glass shards tearing at your cheeks and crunching in your mouth as you chewed caused a shudder to rush through you. 

You didn't want to eat lasagna, spaghetti, or tacos for breakfast. Why couldn't it be something normal, like pancakes, or cereal?!

"Uh, mind if I insert my unneeded two cents and help out with the decision?" 

You felt all eyelights flick to you, and Ann tentatively let you back onto the ground. Brushing down your white cloak (you were surprised that Ann never ended up drooling on your clothes when she picked you up) you gave them a bright smile. 

If it meant saving your stomach from suffering through whatever these monsters can cook, you could be civil. 

"OH THANK YOU, GHOST!" Blue smiled brightly, hands clapping together as his eyelights flashed to stars. 

Geez, you're never living that nickname down, are you? 

"Uh… yeah. Don't mention it?" 

They wanted your opinion? What a joke. 

"How about a normal breakfast without kitchen fires? From what I've heard, they don't sound fun and I don't want to experience it." 

"NORMAL BREAKFAST DOESN'T LIGHT ON FIRE? BUT ALL MEALS NEED THE BURNING FIRES OF PASSION! UNDYNE TOLD ME HERSELF!" Papyrus spoke about whoever this 'Undyne' was fondly. 

If you met her, you really needed to ask what she eats on a daily basis. From the safety of the vents, of course (wouldn't everything she cooked be either charred or disintegrated?). 

"WE NEVER ASKED FOR OR WANTED YOUR INPUT, MOUSE." 

"You might not have wanted it, but you _definitely_ need it." Cringing a little on the inside as you thought of the state the kitchen would've been in after their shenanigans, you sighed. 

"Like… waffles, maybe? Didn't you guys buy a pack of waffles when you went shopping? If all you guys are going to make is your preferred single meal for every meal of the day, why buy anything else?" 

You also didn't understand why there was a stock of ketchup, mustard and honey bottles littering the fridge and pantry. To each their own, you suppose. 

"SANS EATS THOSE FROZEN THINGS LIKE THEY'RE THE LAST MEAL IN THE WORLD. BEFORE YOU ASK, I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT EITHER."

"You… you do know you can make all that shit from scratch, right? Instead of them being frozen, you could always just make them yourselves." 

They each stared back at you with dumbfounded looks. 

"WHY WOULD WE WANT TO EAT THAT CRAP?" Edge pinched the bridge of his nonexistent nose, sighing. 

"Give it a shot. Because, no offense, I don't really want to eat tacos, spaghetti, or lasagna for breakfast… those are more lunch or dinner foods." 

The skeletons still just stared at you like you were the dumbest thing on Earth. 

Glancing over at Ann for assistance, you found her missing from her spot, a small crash bouncing into your hearing directly after. 

Seriously?! What had she gotten herself into now?

Groaning, you swerved around the skeletons in the kitchen (still out of their reach, thank god) and beeline to where the noise originated from. Just as you went to tug open the pantry door, it was pushed open from the inside, Ann nosing along three bags of flour, sugar, and baking powder. 

How she got them down from the shelves in the pantry? 

You stopped questioning the weird things she could do a long time ago. 

Shrugging, you pushed the jug of vegetable oil out as well, stopping once you were outside of the pantry. 

The skeletons were still surprisingly quiet, staring at you like you had grown three heads. 

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"YES. STUPIDITY." 

"Cool beans my dude. So, I got the stuff you guys need to make the good shit. The waffle irons over there." Papyrus had easily picked up the things you and Ann had dragged out, placing them on the island. 

"Nice. Kay, we need a bowl, beater, eggs, milk, salt, vanilla, and chocolate syrup." Blue had happily skipped to grab all the things you listed, setting them on the island as well. 

"I DON'T BELIEVE CHOCOLATE SYRUP IS NEEDED FOR THIS, TINY HUMAN…" Surprise surprise, the cinnamon roll had pulled out his phone, searching up a recipe. 

Glancing towards Ann, you tilted your head. She tilted her head in response, and you mentally cheered. Hopping onto her back (you tried your best not to pull on her fur) you climbed up and balanced on her head (the skeletons had crowded around Papyrus to scan over the recipe, though Edge's regular resting bitch face looked angrier than usual) and snatched the bottle of chocolate syrup. 

Losing your balance, you fell back down onto her back, landing with a small 'oof'. 

That seemed to attract on of the skeletons attention, and you watched Blue blink, staring at you in confusion. 

"Bye! Also, let's not put glass in the food this time?" 

"IF YOU CAN'T EVEN EAT MEASLY GLASS SHARDS THAN YOU'RE WEAKER THAN I THOUGHT." 

"Humans are a weak race." You shrugged, arms wrapped around the chocolate syrup as you patted Ann's head as a signal of 'let's go somewhere else.'

"WAIT! GHOST, YOU'RE GOING TO SPOIL YOUR APPETITE IF YOU EAT THAT!" 

That seemed to attract Papyrus's attention, as he finally glanced up.

"OH NO… EVEN YOU?! I THOUGHT SANS WAS BAD WITH THE CONDIMENTS, BUT CHOCOLATE SYRUP? REALLY?" 

You shrugged, popping open the lid of the bottle that was as big as you, tilting it back to happily consume the liquid. 

Every skeleton rolled their eyes, looking both disgusted, yet familiar with it. 

Wait, did he say Sans drank condiments?

Gross…

You promptly fled, taking your bottle of syrup with you.

_______

So, you should _not_ have left them alone to make breakfast. When you came back upon hearing raised voices (well, more raised than normal, and that's saying something as three specific skeletons voices border shouts when they speak) the kitchen was a _disaster_. 

Batter (hey! Progress! At least they went with your idea!) was splattered across the ceiling, tiles and walls, while three spotless skeletons stood arguing in the middle of the mess. 

It would be hell to clean…

Yeah, not today, satan. 

"So, why are we arguing this time..?" The chocolate syrup bottle was strapped to your back, replacing your bag that you normally carried. 

"THE CHILD IS SAYING-"

"MY NAME IS BLUEBERRY! AND IT WASN'T ONLY ME, PAPYRUS WAS AGREEING TOO!"

"THE CREAMPUFF DOES NOT COUNT!"

"WAIT, WHY DON'T I COUNT..?"

"STOP BEING A JERK, EDGE!" 

"HOW AM I BEING A JERK?! IT'S OBVIOUS YOU'RE DOING ALL OF IT WRONG, AND THE MEAL WOULD TURN OUT AS SHIT IF I WASN'T HERE TO HELP." 

"I'M STILL CONFUSED AS TO WHY I DON'T COUNT." 

"SHUT UP, CREAMPUFF!" 

"uh, sorry if i'm intruding, but vanilla, red and i were gonna go to grillbys." 

"YOU, CLASSIC AND MY PATHETIC BROTHER ARE MOST CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO EAT AT THAT GREASY PLACE. YOU WILL STAY AND EAT BREAKFAST." 

Stretch looked admittedly queasy, but he covered it quickly.

"YEAH BROTHER! DON'T YOU WANT TO STAY AND EAT?" Blue chirped, head tilted. 

"uh… yeah bro… sure…" 

Stretch backed up into the hall, disappearing back to wherever he had came from. 

At this rate, you might as well just snatch something from the pantry and be done with it. 

Breakfast is going to be lunch by the time it's done.

"Guys! Just… make it. Please? Why is it so difficult?" You had hopped off of Ann, keeping your distance as she padded up to Blue, pawing his legs. 

Blue, getting the gist, gently picked her up, running his fingers through her fur. 

"EDGE KEEPS BOSSING US AROUND WHEN WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ONLINE!" 

Sighing, you shook your head. 

"What do you guys have done already?"

"EDGE SAYS WE MADE THE BATTER WRONG, BUT ITS DONE!" 

You nodded, proceeding to scale the cabinets like a mountain, prancing over to the full bowl of batter. Glancing at the spoon discarded on the counter, you swiped your hand over the surface, collecting a bit of the substance onto your fingers. 

Taste testing 101!

"Add a bit more vanilla and it'll be perfect." You shrugged, glancing at Edge.

"It tastes fine. I think they did it right." Wiping your fingers off against the black leggings underneath your cloak, you made a leap, landing safely on the island. Strolling over to the basket of apples, safe from the batter flinging, you picked one (if you swayed and almost lost your balance due to the size of it, nobody noticed (you hope)) placing it down beside you once it was out of the backet. 

Staring at it in contemplation, you curiously watched your reflection in the fruit due to just how shiny the apple was.

"...can one of you make this into apple slices?" It was a blow to your pride to ask, but it had been so long since it was actually easy to eat the fruit. 

Edge sighed, shoving the other two skeletons aside as he strode up to the island, easily taking the fruit. 

"NEITHER OF YOU WOULD DO IT RIGHT, AND IT EMBARRESES ME TO SEE YOU TRY. YOU'RE JUST A WEAKER VERSION OF ME AND MY BROTHER." 

Edge then proceeded to easily cut the fruit into bitty sized slices, glaring at you as he handed them back. 

"...YOU'RE LUCKY SANS SUGGESTED I BE CIVIL TO YOU, MOUSE. OTHERWISE, I WOULD HAVE YOU GONE IN AN INSTANT." 

"Hate you too." You hummed, taking the bitty sized slices from him. Popping one in your mouth, you found yourself pleasantly surprised at just how much you missed things being easy to eat. 

"ARE… ARE BITTIES SUPPOSED TO PURR?" 

You blushed, snatching the rest of the slices from Edge and hopping off the island. Ann caught you, setting you down as you darted back into the closest vent. 

Why?! Why had you even helped them with breakfast!? Sometimes, you really are an idiot…

Unbeknownst to you, Blue was chuckling while Papyrus smiled. Even Edge's scowl had lessened. 

Watching silently from your spot of safety, they poured batter into the waffle iron and cleaned, preparing enough for practically everyone in the house, plus guests. 

Tugging your chocolate syrup back in front of you, you unscrewed the lid, curiously dipping an apple slice into the syrup. 

"OH! HELLO BROTHER!"

"hey paps. so, tell me i'm wrong, but do we have a cat in the vents? i'm not _kitten_ you, i swear i heard purring…" 

"OH! IT'S MIGHT BE THE GHOST!" 

"that's _hiss-sterical_ and _pawsitively_ adorable. didn't know bitties purred."

Your face burnt from where you were sitting, and you stubbornly shoved another apple slice in your face, crunching the fruit angrily. 

Curse stupid bitty engineere. Why did they think it would be a good idea to include that of all things with bitties?!

"GHOST! WE FINISHED BREAKFAST! WOULD YOU LIKE SOME!" 

"surpised it wasn't a _cat-astrophe_." 

Safe to say Sans got an apple slice thrown at him through the cover of the vent. 

"that was _pawfully_ rude, don'tcha think?" Red had come into the room, catching into the puns immediately. 

Yet another apple slice was thrown. 

The day was going so well _befur_ this, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, maybe you enjoyed puns a bit more than you let on. Thankfully, breakfast goes by without problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhhi- sorry for the chapter taking so long, got sidetracked. Halloween is tomorrow though!

"heya kid, ya sure ya don't want breakfast? didn't ya say ya wanted some earlier?" 

Why was Sans of all people asking you? You thought it would've been obvious when you had stayed hidden when the skelebros had started serving breakfast (Edge, noticing that the waffle mix could also make pancakes, proceeded to make a few as well).

Yet, there was something bugging you. What was it? 

_"actually… i do have one. have breakfast? my bro would be over the moon if you ate what he made."_

Well, fuck. Technically, you had never said no. But, all the same, you hadn't said yes either. 

But… seeing the fluffy friend down on the hardwood, a small pancake dropped into a dog food bowl (when had they gotten that?) as she happily gulped down the food. 

You ignored the sting from your soul, hearing your stomach growl harshly. 

No. You weren't hungry. 

"your stomach answered for ya, honey. c'mon. i _pancake_ all this waiting." Stretch hummed, already lounging in one chair, eyes narrowed towards the food on the table. 

You facepalmed, shaking your head. 

"course, if ya don't want some…" Red was eyeing the stack of breakfast on the middle of the table, fingers twitching as a slick red lounge ran over his teeth. 

How the fuck does a skeleton have a tongue..? Not the time!

The whine from Ann was the thing that finally caused you to crack, as you huffed, easily dropping out of the vent and onto the hardwood. 

To say the skeletons looked horrified was an understatement. However, Edge oddly enough, looked… impressed?

"uh. 'xcuse me, but how the _fuck_ did you drop from the ceiling to the hardwood without fucking dying. yer hp is way too fuckin' low fer that." A red tinted bead of perspiration dripped down his skull, pinpricks slightly smaller.

"Um… magic?" Doing jazz hands, you easily scaled the table leg (thank god they hadn't gotten rid of the wooden table that was already in the house. If so, you would have to crave out footholds in the next table all over again) you easily made it to the top. 

"Don't fucking touch me, and I won't bite you." You sent them a grin, flashing your sharpened teeth (you mentally shuddered. You remembered how much it had hurt).

Blue and Papyrus only gave you a smile, setting down a small paper plate in front of you, bitty sized pancakes covered in… chocolate syrup?

"pffff- 'oly shit you bastards were right! she purrs!" 

You sent them a scowl, cheeks burning pink, tinted by your magic color.

"I TAKE IT YOU ENJOY THE MEAL, GHOST?" Blue smiled brightly, blue pinpricks switching to stars as he noticed your hesitant nod. 

"Tastes like normal fucking pancakes." You muttered, but continued purring, happily grabbing one of the small pancakes, the sides of the treat clear of syrup. 

Happily munching on the fluffy goodness, Ann yipped, pawing at Sans's leg.

"wazzup?" He glanced down, bone brow raised curiously. 

" _updog_?" 

Sans chuckled at Stretch's comment, Red following suit. Ann yipped again, and sans, oddly enough, being done eating already, just helped the dog into his lap, allowing her to be level with everyone else. 

"WHAT IS THAT, BROTHER?" Blue helpfully questioned, and you found yourself tucking your smile behind the claps of your cloak, taking occasional bites of your breakfast.

~~How long had it been since you'd had a breakfast this nice?~~

"oh, ya know. _updog_." Red laughed, answering before Stretch. 

"I DON'T THINK I FOLLOW…" Papyrus tilted his head, sockets gleaming curiously. 

That caused the three jokers to chuckle a bit louder, Stretch smiling mischievously. 

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU BUFFOONS ARE LAUGHING ABOUT. WHAT IS ' _UPDOG_?'

A small giggle slipped out of you, finishing your plate. 

How'd they make the pancakes so small? Shaking your head (unaware that you were still purring) you continued listening to their banter. 

Then, each of the more excitable skeletons paused, and you could almost _see_ the gears turning in their head. 

Then, one by one, 

"NYEH!"

"MWEH!"

"NYAH!"

Each of their eyes boggled, shouts of outrage echoing around the table, open laughter a response. 

"BROTHER, YOU DID NOT!" 

"YOU INSUFFERABLE, LOUSY, SKELETONS HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR!"

"REALLY, SANS? JUST… REALLY?!" 

"dunno what your talking about bro. i thought that was a pretty _ultimutt_ joke." 

" _dog-gone_ it, you got to it before i did."

"NO PUNNING AT THE TABLE." 

"awe, c'mon bro, _howl_ will i ever live?" 

"THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, S- RED!" 

"quit _houndin'_ me, boss."

"THAT'S _RUFF_ , EVEN FOR YOU, EDGY ME! TERRIBLE, REALLY!" 

"you- bro, you just- you made a pun-!" 

"NO! HOW?!" 

"i _shit-zu-not_ , you really just did." Red laughed, watching a bead of blue perspiration trail down his skull. 

"Welcome to the _bark_ side, skeleton." You, not being able to withhold your own laughter, grinned brightly, watching his eyes (how does that even work?! Hes a skeleton!) boggle out in frustration. 

The three pun masters burst into laughter, Stretch even falling out of his chair. 

Giggling, you left the paper plate and hopped off the table while they were distracted, darting over to blend into the vents. 

Despite the happy and good intent drawing you in, why would you trust them? ~~It's not like they fed you, haven't once tried to touch you, and talked to you like a person, not a pet.~~

Ann watched you go, not moving from her spot. 

Lucky pup.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay, death threats, and huh... The hot topic brothers definitely have their differences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Got stuck. I knew what I wanted to do next, but it wouldn't exactly go into words. Took me awhile, but I think I finally got it!

As the day went by, you kept close to the only one you trusted, either hiding in her fur, or tucked in the vents. Your anxiety spiked whenever she left your sight, but with each passing hour, you found yourself relaxing more and more despite your better judgement. And hell, it wasn't even lunch yet!

"I'M STILL CONFUSED AS TO WHY THE DOG HASN'T STOLEN MY SPECIAL ATTACK YET. I THOUGHT ALL DOGS LIKED BONES?" Edge eyed your friend who was happily sprawled out on the rug in front of the couch, her body covering the holes worn into the fabric in some areas. 

"pretty sure she does, but, i think she realizes we're, uh, alive? as alive as a skeleton can be, that is." Stretch raised a brow, leaning on his hand, elbow propped up on his knee. 

You watched, curiously, as Stretch summoned a small bone (Ann size) and tossed it onto the ground beside her. Ann took note of the smooth object and lazily stretched out, slowly grabbing onto it before returning to her previous spot. 

"HUH. ALL THE DOGS I'VE MET HAVE IMMEDIATELY WANTED TO STEAL THE TERRIBLE EDGE'S ATTACKS FOR THEMSELVES. OF COURSE, I BESTED THE MANGY MUTTS AND GOT THEM BACK. AFTER ALL, MY ATTACKS ARE ONLY TO BE WEILDED BY ME." Edge crossed his arms, leaning back into the armchair tucked close to the couch. 

Ann gave him a disapproving bark, and you grinned. Stretch shrugged, pushing himself up from the couch, fishing a honey bottle from his pocket in the process. 

"well, i'm gonna make like a banana, and _split_." He drawled, before simply disappearing. 

"UGH. STUPID INFERNAL HONEYSTICK. HE CAN'T EVEN WALK THE DISTANCE TO HIS OWN ROOM." Edge growled, before pausing as Ann stood up, easily hopping onto the couch before curling up in his lap. 

"I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT'S YOU AGREEING WITH MY OPINION." Edge sighed, leaning back as he snagged the book on the end table, flipping onto the front cover. 

Now, two options flowed through your mind. Should you make yourself a nuisance, or should you be a civil housemate and try to make casual conversation with the spiked skeleton?

You didn't even have to think about your answer. 

A mischievous grin lighting up your face, you silently opened the vent, noiselessly plummeting to the hardwood unharmed.

Quietly making your way over to the ripped rug, you sat down, smiling all the while. 

Ann, noticing you, wined happily, and you winked. 

"Ey, Edgelord. Whatcha reading?" 

"A BOOK." You watched his sockets spark with both amusement and annoyance. 

"What kind of book?" Tilting your head, you had a clear view of the cover. He didn't need to know that, though. 

"THE KIND YOU READ, MOUSE." 

You huffed. 

"What's the book about?" 

"IT'S TEACHING ME HOW TO SKIN BITTIES ALIVE AND THROW THEM INTO THE LAKE. I HEAR THEY SERVE AS GOOD FISH FOOD."

"Sounds interesting! Tell me more?" Grinning manically, you watched as he sighed, one hand coming up to stroke Ann's fur. 

"IT'S ALSO SUPPOSED TO TEACH BITTIES HOW TO LEAVE SOMEONE TO READ IN PEACE." His answer was clipped, and it made you all the more happier. 

"Hm. Unless it's just me, it sounds like you don't want me around, Edgy." 

"HM. THAT'S DEFINITELY AN INTERESTING CONCLUSION YOU'VE COME TO. MAYBE YOU SHOULD GIVE IT MORE THOUGHT ELSEWHERE." You watched the annoyance snuff out the embers of amusement, and you grinned, flopping down on your stomach, propping your head up with your hands. 

"Actually, you wouldn't mind if I thought about it right here, would you?" 

"THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, MOUSE. GO. AWAY."

"How about... nah." Giggling, you watched him glare. 

*IT'S A SMALL BITTY ON A TORN RUG.

*FIGHT THE BITTY? [YES] [NO]

*[YES]

*CAN'T FIGHT THE BITTY. 

"WHAT?! WHY!" He fumed, and you couldn't withhold your giggles. You're so glad they haven't gotten rid of the rug yet.

*SEEMS LIKE THE FABRIC IT'S SITTING ON HAS TOO MANY HOLES IN IT. 

*SEEMS LIKE THE BITTY NEEDS TO "PATCH" THE FABRIC. 

*THEN YOU CAN FIGHT THE BITTY.

*...MAYBE.

The outraged growl from the skeleton had you finally laughing out loud, watched as he leveled you with a glare that, if looks could kill, you would be six feet under. 

*UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION, THE HOLES IN THE FABRIC SEEM TO BE GROWING. 

*MIGHT TAKE A WHILE FOR THE BITTY TO FIX THEM ALL. 

*BITTIES AREN'T USUALLY VERY GOOD AT KNITTING. 

"CLASSIC! GET YOUR ASS HERE, NOW!" Edge gently lifted Ann from his lap, setting her on the couch as he moved to stand and glare at you. 

"where's the fire?" A blip sounded in the room, and the navy blue jacket appeared out of the corner of your eye. 

You were still giggling. 

"GET RID OF THAT RUG." 

You, still chuckling softly, shook your head, grinning as Ann jumped off the couch to join you.

"uh. why? i think it has a _hole_ lot of style."

Edge seemed to grow angrier, stomping his foot. 

"BECAUSE... BECAUSE! IT KEEPS REFUSING ME WITH LUDICROUS REASONING! JUST GET RID OF IT, VANILLA." Edge stopped stomping, hands placed on his hips as he glowered. 

Sans glanced over with a raised bone brow, curiously scanning over the rug, you, and Ann. 

*IT'S A SMALL WHITE DOG AND BITTY ON A TORN RUG. 

*FIGHT THE DOG/BITTY? [YES] [NO]

"oh. yeah, nah. pretty sure the rug is gonna stay. don't look so _torn_ up, pal."

You had finally stopped laughing, just to start up again, a pun immediately jumping to the front of your mind.

"Careful, looks like he wants to _rip_ apart your sense of humor."

Sans shrugged, but chuckled, messing with the white cloth gloves covering his hands. 

"that all? cause, i got places to be and machines to fix." Sans, already in the midst of teleporting, winked before disappearing. 

"I HATE THIS HOUSEHOLD. YOU ALL RUIN MY LIFE." Edge threw his hands up, snatching the book that had been carelessly tossed back onto the table, before storming out of the room, and onto the stairwell at the back of the hall. 

"I think your _funny bone_ might be broken!" Laughing so hard your stomach hurt, you were still in your giggle fit as you stood, leaning against Ann as she helped balance you. 

"He reminds me of an angsty teen. One with anger issues." You smiled, gently tugging on your pup's ear. 

Ann gave a soft bark in response, licking your face. 'Ewing', you quickly flicked off all the drool that she had left behind, wrinkling your nose.

"Gross, fluffybutt!" Climbing onto her back, you let yourself sink into her fur, allowing the familiarity to pull you off into a content haze, only reemerging when she stopped moving. 

The sun shining through the window on the backdoor caused you to grin, the dog mirroring your expression as you both crossed through the doggy door, letting the outside air push away your worries for the time being. 

Slipping off of her back, you easily scaled one of the posts connected to the railing, making your way to the railing connected to the stairs. Sliding down the generally smooth white wood, you made a leap of faith at the end, meeting the grassy ground within seconds. 

At least that was easier than tripping down the stairs. 

Ann followed after, hopping down the stairs and coming to your side.

"Gazebo?" 

A excited bark was your response, before she was racing off.

"Goddammit you were supposed to let me count down!" Cursing, you rushed after her, hair flying behind you as the hood of your bitty sized cloak fell off, feeling the wind tug and snatch at your hair, burning your eyes, but with it came the feeling of freedom. It reminded you that you were still alive.

The familiar path of small stones and pebbles quickly met your feet, grass just a bit higher, yet oddly enough, more flowers seemed to bloom, ranging from roses to bluebells. It seemed like a forest from a fairytale, flowers taller than you would ever be, insects buzzing directly overhead while the grass served as a makeshift maze, blocking your view and muffling any sounds. 

Panting, you groaned as you noticed her already at the designated end, chasing her tail with excited onyx eyes. 

"Annoying dog." You giggled, watching her glance at you, before stopping, proceeding to prance onto the wood of the safe space.

The white wicker swing greeted you, and you cheered, scaling the railing of the gazebo, before leaping for the swing. 

Ann, who had already jumped up, caught you by the back of your shirt, the near miss causing you to giggle. 

Just as you both got comfortable (you were internally looking forward to a nice nap, away from the house and people that could easily kill you in your sleep), the crunching of dead leaves and small twigs met your ears. 

Ann, hearing the same thing, tensed, moving you behind her with her tail. 

Had they finally come back after all? You thought you had finally thrown them off your trail! 

Masked panic tightening in your throat, you waited. Waited for the moment they would show their hideous faces, the sneers that made your heart go cold and the cages that were even colder. 

How would you get away if you were caught?

Would they make you go back and play the games? The ones that you had abandoned? ~~You could still feel the dust and blood layering your hands. You could still remember the fear. How your mind was held like a treat dangled in front of a dog~~.

_You thought you still had time._

The familiar eyelights of Red caused you to let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding, slumping back into Ann with a lighter heart. 

You still had time. You were still safe. _They_ were still safe. 

"Gave me a fucking heart attack. Next time warn a bitty, will ya?" Huffing, you shuffled a little closer to Ann, watching her ears flick back up from their folded position.

"sorry not sorry doll. it's my unsaid job to scare the ever living crap out of anybody in this house whenever possible. after all, what's life without a little fear?"

"Unnatural." You softly agreed, watching him eye the plants that surrounded the one place you went to escape. His eyelights lingered on the vines that had started to curl around the beams of the gazebo, small flowers blooming on the ropes. 

"this place really needs some fixing up, huh? well, _flower_ you today? heard you pissed off boss." 

"Wasn't hard. Literally just sat there. Apparently my existence annoys him?"

"anything's existence annoys him." Red chuckled, meandering over to poke at the vines. 

"thought these types of flowers only grew... elsewhere." Red tilted his head. 

"The people who used to live here planted those." 

He hummed, before crouching down, poking at the petals of the few flowers that peaked through the gaps in the railing. 

If you had payed attention, you would've heard him whispering the flower species under his breath, eyelights shining just a bit brighter, permagrin a bit less forced. 

"maybe we can fix this up sometime soon. would be a nice spot for an escape."

You laughed at the irony, and paused as he cast you a curious glance. 

"You're not wrong. This place is the one safespace I use outside of the house." 

He hummed again, and you finally noticed how he seemed careful with the sharpened tips of his fingers as he skimmed them over flowers, how this was probably the most relaxed you'd ever seen him. 

"Botanist?" The word slipped from your mouth before you could think, and you watched him freeze. 

"...nah, dolly. where'd you get that idea?" A red tinted bead of sweat gathered on his skull as he regarded you with careful eyelights, shark grin tightening just slightly. 

"Nothing wrong with it. Flowers are honestly the only things that don't actively try to kill you. Well, unless you count the bitty species. Then, that's a different story." 

Red raised an eyebrow, moving over to sit on one of the small benches still left in the gazebo. 

"there's flower bitties?"

"Shit, you guys don't know _anything_ about bitties, do you?"

"only that there are pint-sized skeletons that happen to be carbon copies of me and my cousins."

Well, he wasn't wrong there. You were lucky you had only dealt with human bitties for the most part. 

"Yeah, theres a whole shit ton of types. Fire ones, flower ones, they're all assholes." You shrugged. 

"you included?"

"Me included." You confirmed, laughing softly. 

"so, are human bitties basically just tiny humans, or are there differences?"

You might be rethinking the botanist idea. With the questions, he reminded you oddly of a scientist. 

Now, how were you going to explain that 'tiny humans' were actually monsters?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chocolate puns to warm a frozen heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bro this legit made me happy. I really like this chapter, probably my second favorite I've written so far.

Red stood, movement making you flinch. It had been nice. You had, surprisingly, been calmer than you had for the past day. That could also be due to the fact that you finally realized the skeletons were playing in your territory. You knew the area, they didn't. If you needed to escape, you always could, no matter where you were in the yard or house. The thought had calmed you significantly. 

"Wait! You said everyone has a college degree? What's yours?" You leaned forward curiously, tucked into Ann's side, her tail wrapped snugly around you. 

"...heh. didn't you already guess that earlier, doll?" A ~~pretty~~ light red shade dusted over his cheekbones, his eyelights dimming slightly as he glanced to the side.

You tilted your head, and for the life of you you couldn't remember when you had mentioned it.

Jesus you needed sleep. 

Red shrugged, tossing you a sharp grin as he turned, slipping down the stairs of the gazebo soundlessly, the magic in the air lessening now that he had left. 

The only way you could describe it would be what the air felt like before it rained. 

The distant boom of thunder had you jumping, shoving yourself closer to your furry friend as your hazed mind tried to differ the sound from a gunshot. 

Right. You were safe. 

Ann, just as tense, calmed down quicker, a whine building in the back of her throat as she nosed you. 

"Fuck. Right. Inside. No point in getting soaked when theres a perfectly good house twenty feet away." Agreeing with her unspoken plea, you hopped onto her back, hands gingerly curling around her fur as she leaped off the swing. 

"Well, now we have time to set up the plan." You patted in between her ears, flinching as you felt a single raindrop splash against your back. A blink later, you were pelted with cold bullets. You were confident that, without your cloak, you would've been more than soaked.

"Shit, cold!" Ducking down, you flipped up the hood of your cloak, practically falling off as Ann rushed up the back poarch stairs. 

Throwing yourself off her back, you quickly unclipped and flung off your cloak, shivering as your wet, ratty long sleeve stuck to your skin. Leggings doing the same, you scowled. Uselessly, you tugged them away from your skin, glowering when they snapped back against you with a wet flop. 

"Okay. This is fine. Whoever made the fucking clouds cry, I just want to have a very nice, friendly conversation with them. I could teach them proper manners." You sighed, fruitlessly wringing out your tangled hair. Lord knows how longs it's been since you had a hair brush. 

Ann, seeing your actions, quickly shook, flinging rain off of her pelt and onto you and the surrounding area. 

"Fuck, Ann! C'mon dude! Really?" Casting her a deadpan look, you growled at the mischievous look she shot back. 

Huffing, you wrung out the bottom of your shirt, before glancing hopelessly in the direction of your cloak. 

"I'm gonna have to drag it all the way to the dryer, and it's so cold." Picking it up, you hissed, dropping it just as quickly. Cold water sticking to your fingers, you groaned. 

"Maybe I'll just throw myself into the dryer too." Rolling your eyes, you snatched up the cloak, tossing it onto Ann's back. 

Ann yelped, but didn't shake it off, glaring at you. 

"C'mon. Make sure to track as much water through the halls as possible. Hopefully it'll piss off the house snatching bastards." You snickered, finding humor in their potential misery.

You and Ann slipping through the doggy door, you grinned at the puddles you left behind, bitty sized handprints left on the bottoms of the walls (if they didn't clean it up, you would. Honestly, you were more so curious at how they would react). 

Spotting the bathroom, you quickly scaled the dips and crevices of the doorframe, leaping for the handle once you were high enough. The swing always clinked your teeth together, but Ann (thankfully) reacted quickly, pawing open the door. 

Dropping, you giggled softly when you fell into a puddle you had left on the ground. Darting into the room, you beelined towards the dryer, Ann helping you reach the top of the machine. 

Stomping on the button that released the seal the machine had on the door, you watched it swing open, Ann tossing your cloak in. Stripping (your undergarments were surprisingly dry, thank the lord) you tossed the rest of your sopping wet clothes in and started it before throwing yourself into the vent beside the washing machine. 

"Cold metal, cold metal..." A trip to the attic and a new pair of clothes later, you were dry. Still shivering though (you wondered if your lips had turned Blue), you hopped onto Ann's back, relishing in the warmth she provided (her fur dried, thank heavens). 

Ann whined, turning her head to nuzzle you, before trotting into the vents. 

Yawning, you quickly mumbled, "Wake me if its important..." before promptly passing out. 

____________

"BROTHER! WHAT SHOULD WE DO?! THE GHOST'S LIPS ARE BLUE AND SHE'S SHIVERING! SURELY THAT'S NOT NORMAL." 

"...uh... bro, go find the heating pad. i'll see if i can get her to drink something warm."

You woke. 

Huh. Why were you still cold? How long had you been asleep?

Yawning, you blinked sleepily, glancing up from your spot on Ann's back. 

Speaking of Ann, the pup had curled up on the ripped rug, keeping you on her back and watching the skeletons with wary eyes. 

"morning hun. uh, rethorical question, but are bitties, basically humans but smaller, supposed to be turning blue?" 

An orange hoodie caught your attention before the voice did, and you blinked, small grin warmer than your temperature as you replied. 

"I can be whatever color I want to be, thank you very much. If I wanna be fucking blue, I'll be fucking blue." Huffing, you curled in on yourself, watching him carefully. 

"right... you like hot chocolate? blue's getting the heating pad." 

"I don't want your goddamn pity, or help. I can take care of myself." Turning away, you made sure you could still see him out of the corner of your eye, stubbornly keeping your eyes on the opposite wall. 

Was that bone picture always there?

"I FOUND IT! IS GHOST AWAKE?" A small blue blur charged into the room, carrying a small grey bundle wrapped in a white cord. 

"Ghost is awake." You confirmed, watching his eyes turn to stars from the corner of your vision. 

"ARE YOU COLD?" Prancing over, Blue plopped on the rug a few feet from you and Ann.

"No, I'm shivering because I'm warm." You raised an eyebrow, watching as he rolled his eyes. 

"NEVERMIND YOUR SARCASTIC NATURE, THE MAGNIFICANT SANS HAS COME TO HELP!"

"Don't want it." You stated simply, trying to ignore the temptation that the heating pad and hot chocolate carried. 

Ann whined, nosing you off with a disapproving glare. Huffing as you unceremoniously was pushed onto the carpet, you didn't even realize you were shivering. 

"What? Don't look at me like that. I'm not a fucking charity case." You growled, spotting the concern in the eyelights of both skeletons. 

You didn't notice Stretch disappear into the kitchen, occupied with the other skeleton in the room as he leaned forward, frown straining his permagrin. 

"YOU'RE NOT A CHARITY CASE! I'M SURE YOU WOULD BE JUST FINE ON YOUR OWN, BUT IT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL A LOT BETTER IF YOU AT LEAST ACCEPTED SOMETHING TO DRINK AND THIS." Blue tilted the grey bundle (it was easily big enough to be a blanket for you), pulling off puppy eyes (sockets?) oddly well for a skeleton.

You growled, flashing your teeth. 

"PLEASE?" 

Ann whined, mirroring Blue's expression perfectly as her tail thumped against the ground behind her.

"...Fuck you." You turned, fully intending to walk off and possibly take shelter in the vents, but was quickly snagged by your friend's teeth. 

"Ann! No!" You hissed, scrambling against the air as you helplessly dangled from the back of your shirt. 

Blue gave Ann a headpat, before snagging one of the blankets off the back of the couch, fluffing it into what looked like a nest, before plugging up the heating pad and tucking it into the blanket. All the while, you just glowered, kicking your feet like a child. 

Ann, dropping you into the blanket nest, quickly curled beside you. You were unaware you had started purring the moment you were enveloped by the heat radiating from both the pad and canine beside you. ~~It was nice. Maybe they cared?~~

Stretch slipped out of the kitchen, two mugs and one large thimble filled with hot chocolate in his hands. 

"i hope you like this a _choco-lot_ , cause that took exactly five minutes to make."

You sighed, trying to pull yourself out if Ann's hold (and internally trying to rip yourself away from the heating pad that was doing wonders for you), ignoring him entirely. 

"no need to be so _cold_." Stretch grinned, plopping down beside Blue on the rug. Gently, he passed you the thimble, and you glared, focusing on not spilling it during your struggle for freedom. 

You huffed, ignoring his pun despite the tiny smile that tilted your lips. 

"what kinda candy never arrives on time?" 

"BROTHER, YOU'VE TOLD ME THIS ONE A MILLION TIMES!" Blue huffed, crossing his arms. 

"...Heard that one. Chocolate. Gotta do better than that." Glancing to the side, escape significantly more difficult one handed. 

"damn." He snapped his fingers, closing his eyes as he fished a cigarette from his pockets. 

As Stretch struggled with a lighter, the silence became heavy. You swore, any longer, and you would be crushed by the lack of coversation. Anxiety pressing against your sides, you asked the question on the forefront of your mind. 

Maybe you would finally be able to learn their intentions. ~~You easily ignored the fact that you could feel the intent from their souls. Concern, care... they wanted to help. You wanted them to help.~~

"...Why?" You tilted your head down, sinking back into the warmth as Ann refused to let you go. You tilted the cup up to your lips, eyes closing momentarily in bliss. 

Chocolate was the best, after all.

"WHY WHAT, GHOST?" 

"Why are you helping me? I've been literally nothing but a nuisance this entire time. So why? If I was you, I would've kicked me out already. Either that or given me up to the bitty shelter. Surely it can't be that hard to catch something a tenth of your size." Glancing up, you watched the brothers exchange a concerned glance. 

"WHO THE FUCK TRACKED WATER INTO THE GODDAMN HOUSE?!" 

Talk about a mood booster.

You snickered, watching Edge storm into the living room, eyelights blazing in irritation. 

"Maybe a ghost?" You suggested, amusement dancing in your eyes. 

You missed the silent conversation Stretch and Blue seemed to be having. 

"YOU KNOW THOSE PUDDLES YOU LEFT? I'M GOING TO DROWN YOU IN THEM." He growled, before stalking off into the kitchen. Distantly, you heard the fridge being wrenched open. 

You jumped when Stretch shifted, strolling over to flop onto the couch. Blue followed suit, sinking into the armchair. Glancing to the coffee table, he quickly snatched the TV remote off of the glass. You flinched, but tried to pass the movement as a reaction to the heat from the chocolate. Blue flicked on the TV, Stretch turning his head towards the TV from his laying position, flattened against the couch. You glanced towards the TV as well, but kept an eye on the brothers. 

The familiar screen of Netflix flashing across the TV had excitement building. Purring just a bit louder, you missed the brothers glancing in your direction and you once again inhaled hot chocolate. 

~~You felt... happy.~~

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO WATCH CRIMINAL MINDS, GHOST?" 

"...Yeah."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic misery and midnight snacks

The chirp of crickets was the only thing keeping you awake at this point, yet it too was slowly becoming background noise. 

You were comfortable. Warm, content, happy. ~~Safe.~~

Yet you couldn't fall asleep. You knew you were being paranoid. If they wanted to kill you, ship you off, or even send you back to _them_ , they would've done it by now.

Ann trusted them, and hell, she could sense intent better than you could. So why couldn't you just _trust_ them? Why couldn't you believe in them? ~~You really wanted to.~~

Sometimes you really hated the way your brain worked. 

Deciding to forego sleeping, knowing it wouldn't happen anyway (what if they really did have malicious intent. You would be asleep. Vulnerable. The next thing you knew, you would be back in a center with a trackable code. Then _they_ would find you and-), you stood, ignoring the way invisible weights pulled at your limbs and eyelids. You ignored the way the world spun and the edges of your vision became doused in shadows, and ignored the way you couldn't feel your own magic. You ignored the way panic threaded through your entire being at the feeling, and focused on the way you could faintly feel the buzz of magic in the air instead of your lack of the feeling. 

Your magic was as natural to you as breathing, and without it, you almost felt like you were suffocating. Except, you weren't. It was the feeling of blood rushing through your veins, it came as naturally as a heartbeat. And without it, you felt odd. 

Yet, as life went, no sleep, no magic. 

Letting your legs guide your mind, you slowly zoned out, knowing that, as long as you were moving, you were awake. 

How long had it been that you had enough sleep to properly recharge your magic? When you were safe, and felt safe enough to not fall into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares and memories? At this rate, your magic would fizzle out until you had a proper fifteen hour recharge, and stars know that wasn't happening anytime soon.

The chill of the kitchen tiles was what brought you back, cold seeping into the soles of your feet. The hole in your left sock wasn't helping either, and you let out a silent hiss, baring your teeth at the white, so shiny you could see your reflection, tiles.

The bags under your eyes hadn't lessened, moreso just worsening. Knotted hair led to your pale skin and dull eyes. 

...You missed the shine that you used to see when you looked in the mirror. 

Shaking your head, you glanced up, wondering why the hell you were in the _kitchen_ of all places. Why not outside, or even the vents? Where you were safer than in a house full of theives?

Why the kitchen?

The container of hot chocolate caught your eye, and you felt the dying spark of excitement light back up. Stretching out your limbs, you took a running start, leaping for the knob on the drawer in the counter, smacking against the wood silently as you scrabbled for purchase on the silver bulb. 

Hauling yourself onto the counter, you rubbed your hands together, chasing away the chill that had spread from touching the cool marble top. 

"...not gonna lie, you seriously look like you have the _worst_ plans for that chocolate."

The voice of Sans almost had you jumping out of your skin, doe eyes blinking owlishly in the skeletons direction. 

Why was he always the one up in the middle of the night?

The skeleton looked even worse, if that was possible, in the dark. The low lighting really drove home the fact that the skeleton didn't get a lot of sleep, bruises underneath his sockets big enough to land a plane on. Hazy eyelights and the deshevlied clothes, he looked like had just rolled out of bed. 

Why did you get the feeling that wasn't what happened?

"Gotta stay awake somehow." You huffed, chasing away the metaphorical cat that had your tounge.

"seems like we're in the same boat then, kid. some cocoa for your troubles?" The skeleton moved over to the coffee maker, voice still low as he started preparing a pot. 

You wondered how the fuck the two brothers in the living room were still asleep. If it were you, you would've been awake and gone by now, scared out of your mind due to the noises in the kitchen. 

"...I can make it myself." You huffed, crossing your arms as you let yourself sit down, legs dangling off the edge of the countertop. 

Sans hummed, glancing in your direction.

"never said ya couldn't. just felt like helping. if you want me to, that is." He directed his eyes back to the coffee, watching the brew with zero intrest. 

Honestly, it was probably as entertaining as watching paint dry. 

"...Just because you volunteered." You sighed, pushing the cocoa powder container over to him. 

A sly smile shot in your direction, he found one of the thimbles tucked into the cabinet, quickly whipping up a cup of coffee for himself, and handing you the hot chocolate afterwards. 

Should you thank him? You were thankful. It saved you the trouble of handling things ten times your size with zero magic. But if you did, what if he thought that you were fine with them staying, less passive-aggressive than usual and all just furthering the point. How would-?

"welcome." Spotting your look, Sans just put the container away, closing the cabinet doors as quietly as possible. You huffed, lips turning up in the corner as you watched him move about. 

Mug in hand, Sans turned, drifting over to the kitchen entrance, exiting into the hall. 

"night, kid." Tossing a wave over his shoulder, you watched him disappear without a trace. 

Clutching the thimble close to your chest, you let your mind wander once again, the warmth of your drink keeping you from falling too deep into your thoughts. Maybe you should take the chance to check out what they had done to the rooms that they had claimed?

You wondered how much furniture and things they had changed in the bedrooms. You wondered if the people who used to live here would be angry at their stuff being handled?

No, you decided. They wouldn't, if you knew anything. 

Draining the last few drops in the thimble, confident that you could probably drink your weight in the beverage, you left the makeshift cup in the sink, slipping into the vents moments later. 

The cool metal brought some semblance of peace, but it didn't stop the anxiety that buzzed under your skin as a constant reminder of the danger around you. 

Silence a skill, you slinked through the vents, peering into each of the rooms without actually entering. Lord knows how heavy sleepers they were, and you didn't want to risk waking the sleeping skeletons. 

The light streaming through the next vent cover left patterns against the inside of the system, slitted light streaming into your eyes as you approached.

Papyrus was still up. 

Furrowing your brows, you peered through the slots in the vent cover, spotting the skeleton hunched over a book, looking increasingly tired as the seconds ticked by.

You wondered why he was still up. The flamboyant skeleton struck you as the type to get a solid eight hours of sleep and have every second of his day planned out, starting from how long he should sleep to when he went to bed the next night. 

So why? 

Shaking your head, you decided it wasn't your business. Turning, you made the move to continue on your trip, the vent popping as you put your weight on loose metal. 

You could've sworn the house inspectors had fixed that the last time they had visited! 

Cheapskates. 

"Small One?" 

Letting out an inaudible sigh, you turned, tired grimace already lining your lips. 

"Indeed. The neighborhood ghost decided to pay a visit and wonder why the hell your up? It's literally-" You paused, glancing at the alarm clock on the skeletons beside table.

"Three in the morning." You rose a brow, slumping against the wall of the vent as you sat down. 

"Someone As Great As I Doesn't Need Sleep!" The false enthusiasm made you scoff. 

"Yes, and pigs can fly. Try again." 

At least this was more entertaining than spiraling in your thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You promised yourself you wouldn't, but when have you ever been able to keep promises?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry guys, writers block is a bitch. Trying to force myself through it, so if the chapter is kinda short and shitty, that's why.

The room was dim from what you could see through the vent cover. The lamp on the bedside table soft, giving off just enough light for late-night reading. Book setting in his lap, the dark bags were barely hidden with the tired smile on the skeletons skull. 

"I... I Do Not Wish To Speak About It." A shake had crept through his voice, threading through his words and clenching his throat in a voice grip. 

Papyrus swore he saw the shadows move, ever slowly shifting, growing darker, yet darker. 

You blinked, watching his gaze dart around the room, anxious sockets lidded with exhaustion. 

"...What're you reading?" You dropped it, yet curiosity continued to gnaw at the back of your mind. 

"Oh! It Is Called 'Karma.' I Find It Incredibly Interesting, And If The Book Was Your Size, I Would Encourage You To Read It!" The way his eyes lit up outshone the dim light in the room, but just as quickly as it came, it went, fading to match the cloak shadows cast over the room. Once again, the skeletons gaze was drawn to the corners of the room, grip just a bit tighter on the hardback in his hands. 

You wondered what had him so freaked. 

"I can still read things that are bigger than me. It's actually one of the things that keeps me from getting too bored. Did you ever notice how the books on the shelves seemed in different places?"

"Now That You Mention It..." A gasp escaped the skeletons teeth, jaw falling open as he stared at you, something akin to playful betrayal dancing in his sockets. 

"Ghost! It Was You! And Here I Thought Sans Was Being Productive For Once." A disappointed sigh escaped, and he cast you a sleepy smile. 

"Oh Well! I Suppose I Can Settle With His Incessant Joke Books For Now. At Least He Reads _Something_." Papyrus chuckled. 

Silence fell over the room. You never were one for holding conversations. 

"Isn't It Uncomfortable In There? Surely The Metal Would Be Unbearably Cold. Especially When The AC Is On. You May Come Out If You Wish. I Promise On Spaghetti That I Can Keep You Safe!" 

Jeez the skeleton could talk. You supposed it was welcome change. 

"...I-" 

You both froze as softly, from the door, scratching began. Scraping down the wood on the other side, you shuddered as it got just a bit louder. 

Panic had flickered through Papyrus, but slowly, he stood, never once taking his gaze off the entrance to his room. 

The scratching never ceased. 

"...This is eerily akin to how people in scary movies die." You grumbled, backing up just a bit, watching as Papyrus moved towards his door, skeletal (you noted that his gloves were missing) hand drifting out to clutch the silver knob. 

Wasn't it common knowledge to _never_ open the door? Well, if he wanted to submit himself to possible eternal damnation, you weren't one to stop him. 

Taking a deep breath, Papyrus calmed himself. A moment later, the door was wrenched open, sockets instinctively closing as he mentally prepared himself for the worst. 

A yip caused a startled laugh to escape your chest, watching as Ann pranced into the room like she owned the place. 

"...Dog." Papyrus chuckled, bending to gently pick up the pomeranian, careful arms wrapping around her as he closed his door, returning to his bed. 

Ann lifted her head after they had settled onto the mattress, onyx eyes finding you within moments. Another yip, and you hesitantly left the vents, slipping down atop the bookshelf underneath the cover. 

Pursing your lips, you quickly stomped off all the dust that had gathered onto your boots, preparing to jump down as you snagged one of the pencils left atop the shelf. 

"Wait! Don't Jump-!" 

You jumped, pencil in hand as you fell. Quickly, you jammed the pencil in between the tops of the books and the shelf halfway down the bookcase, dropping the rest of the way safely. Feet sinking into the fire printed carpet, you trotted the rest of the way to his bed, self-satisfied smile lining your lips. 

A sneeze from Ann and a huffed head turn had you giggling, while Papyrus stared on, gobsmacked. 

"If Skeletons Had Hearts, I Swear I Would've Had A Heart Attack! Really, Small One, You Must Be Careful! Bitties Look So Fragile!" 

"Well, at least your scolding me. I would be _really_ concerned if you just let it go. Besides, key word in your rant, _look_. We're not very breakable." You rolled your eyes, scaling the end of his bed, settling beside Ann once safely up.

"But Your HP!" Exasperated, he rested his skull in his hands, staring at you carefully. Like you could kneel over and die any moment. 

"Just a number." 

~~Just a number...~~

Giving him what you hoped was a comforting smile, you let yourself sink into Ann's fur, a purr rising in your throat as you realized how oddly warm she was. 

"Why Do Bitties Purr?" 

Cracking an eye open - _When had you closed them?_ \- you raised a brow, watching as he gave you a look of curiosity. 

"Normally means they're happy, content, or comfortable." You mummered, watching as he laid back, book in his hands once again. 

"Hmm..." 

Silence fell after that, and you didn't realize you were still purring, curled against Ann's side as you closed your eyes. 

You were only resting them! You _wouldn't_ fall asleep. Who knows what they could do. Magic or no, sleep was unsafe. 

A yawn escaped your mouth, and the next thing you knew,

You fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

I feel terrible about doing this, but I have to put the story on hiatus! I'm starting public school, I'm gonna have little to no time to work on my stories! I may pick this back up sometime in the future, but for now, it'll have to go on pause. I enjoyed writing this, so hopefully I'll be able to pick the story back up soon! Thank you for sticking around until now! Until next time ^^


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